More than just a haircut: 44 years behind the chair in Manjimup

When Katherine Yovkoff first opened the doors of her Manjimup salon, perms were all the rage, appointments were handwritten, and a good haircut cost a fraction of what it does today.

More than four decades later, the hairdresser who became a fixture of the Manjimup community is preparing to put her scissors down for the last time, and step into a well-earned retirement.

After 44 years in the industry, Mrs Yovkoff is leaving behind not just a business, but a legacy of 22 apprentices, two locations, and an unwavering belief in regional potential.

Her journey began in the early 1980s, when she and her husband took over a basic salon site in town, operating under Bev’s Hairstylist, despite the fact she was not yet a qualified hairdresser.

“When we took it over, I wasn’t even a hairdresser,” Mrs Yovkoff said.

“I decided, well ok, I’m going to make the most of it and take a new direction, a new life.”

Resolved to learn the trade from the ground up, Mrs Yovkoff enrolled in a four-year ladies hairdressing apprenticeship, travelling weekly to Bunbury for theory and practical training.

“I wanted to learn the ropes correctly like everyone else, not just coming in as the boss,” she said.

“At that time there would probably have been about eight or nine hairdressers working there as well, we used to do 15 perms a day, and I was balancing being an apprentice and a boss at probably 21 or 22 years-old.”

Mrs Yovkoff then completed a licence in barbering, attending 18 weeks of night school in Bunbury, while raising a child and running the salon.

“That part was really hard, but I was determined to get the dual licence so I could train girls in both ladies and men’s hairstyling, so I got through it,” she said.

As her skills grew, so did the business, with the salon expanding to a new location to become one of the biggest in the South West.

At one point she employed 14 staff and was operating vehicles to service clients in Pemberton and Bridgetown.

When asked about the highlight of her time as a hairdresser, Mrs Yovkoff said the 22 apprentices she trained — the largest of any salon in region — remains an achievement of which she is deeply proud.

“I put a lot of effort into my girls, by their first year most of my apprentices could cut and colour, basically they could do what a 3rd year apprentice would normally do,” she said.

“We’d get a report from the TAFE, my girls averaged at 90 per cent plus, some would get 92, some 96, but never below that 90 per cent.

“I spent a lot of time with the girls, because I wanted them to achieve as much as possible, and they really did.”

Several of those apprentices went on to win State-level awards, with Mrs Yovkoff herself securing apprentice of the year during her studies.

“Kellie Martin was one of my girls who for Work skill Australia won Statewide first, then she went to compete in the nationals over east,” Mrs Yovkoff said.

“Another was Janelle Barrett, who in her fourth year was apprentice of the year, and she won a week’s holiday to Perth with all other trades people.

“The salon itself won twice best-salon in the South West region, which was a huge thing in those days, to win the cup twice, as far as I know it’s never been done in the Lower South West.”

After Mrs Yovkoff sent off her final apprentice, the salon downsized in 2004 to become KEY Hairdesign, where it remained until it closed its doors last December.

As Manjimup farewells Mrs Yovkoff, her message remains clear — “If you put 100 per cent into your work, it doesn’t matter that you’re in Manjimup.

“You can make a name for yourself.”

And for 44 years, Kartherine Yovkoff did just that.